Why should you choose Pilates?
Do you have back pain? Are you pregnant or have recently had a baby? Do you want to improve your posture or get more flexible? Do you have chronic pain or even recurrent ankle sprains? Maybe you are trying to get back to fitness after lockdown?
What is Pilates?
Put simply, Pilates is a type of exercise which uses exercises designed to be low-impact. It includes movements which focus on flexibility, deep muscle strength and endurance. Pilates emphasises good postural alignment, core strength and muscle balance.
How can Pilates help you?
If used well, Pilates really can help a lot of problems!
If you have back pain, a history of it, or even have recently had spine surgery, Pilates will help to build up your core strength and allow you to move early. This is a huge benefit, particularly for back problems as the spine loves to move! The assistance of the machines can offer you the support to build up your confidence and movements so help you move through your rehab.
If you are pregnant or have just had a baby Pilates can definitely help. Your body undergoes a lot of stress during pregnancy and labour and there are lots of common conditions, such as diastasis recti, which can be easy to rehab. The focus on alignment, your pelvic floor connection and how you use your abdominals goes through every movement. If you do have diastasis recti, you can also use the equipment to help strengthen you in the area which your gap naturally closes.
For a lot of people with chronic pain, the thought of exercising can be quite scary. The best part about equipment Pilates is that the machines can actually help you move. We can reduce the tension on the springs and give you a big base of support. This allows you to move more freely, with less weight and start to build your muscle strength. Because Pilates is low impact, it will not rattle your bones, but will allow your deeper muscles to start to work to support you.
Finally, if you have a history of ankle sprains, or just want to improve your flexibility and posture Pilates can definitely help! Pilates movements focus on muscular balance which means that everything works when it should! Emphasising postural alignment during the exercises will help you to learn where you are in space. This means that you will be able to transfer the skills you learn in the studio to the gym, your sport, or even just sitting at your desk.
If you know you want to book a Pilates session, click on the buttons below.
Otherwise, if you are not sure, why not have a chat with us. Simply fill in your details in the form below, tell us you aren’t a robot and we will arrange a call with you. Here you can ask any questions you may have and we can let you know whether we believe that we can help, and if we can who would be the best person for you.
“I love it. The instructors are really clear….I can join from wherever I am in the world”
Shona,
“A spinal injury first brought me to Complete Pilates…I am blown away by how much thought goes into the design and how effective the Complete Pilates team are…. I would go out of my to recommend Complete Pilates and I have.”
Graham, Management Consultant.
FAQ’s
We use zoom or Microsoft Teams to carry out our sessions. Both are very flexible and have an app which you can download or you can run it through the web. If you are on a Mac computer, running teams through google chrome works the best rather than downloading the app. However, both are suitable for any device and do not require you to sign up if you don’t wish to.
We recommend the use of a laptop or tablet as they can be easily moved around so that we can see you properly. If you are not sure whether you have space, or the set up will work, we can go through this with you before your first appointment.
You will receive an email from us with the zoom details for the class. If you have not received this 1 hour before your class, please check your junk and then get in touch so we can ensure you are on your class promptly.
When you sign in, say hi and give us a wave 😊 If you have any problems, just drop a note in the chat. Your instructor will introduce themselves and let you know if you may need any equipment (this is always optional).
The instructor will do the class with you so that you can see the exercises. Periodically they will pop over to the camera and try to give feedback. Hopefully you hear lots of positives! Throughout the movements, they will also look over and offer up cues based on what they see.
Your screen should be set on speaker view whereas they will see the gallery view so that they can see all your lovely moves!
No! We try and be as flexible as we can and know that life sometimes gets in the way of best intentions. As a result, you can do drop in classes or buy a block of sessions and you can use them between any instructor on any day.
We always recommend trying to do at least 1 class per week so that you start to see results.
Just let us know!
We record classes if the other participants accept this and the instructor will ask all participants at the start of the class. If this is not possible, we will let you know and give you an alternative option.
The camera option is down to you. We ideally keep all video’s on so we can see you, but we do turn off client microphones so that the instructor is always seen. If you would prefer for others not to see you, you can turn your video off. However, please be aware that this means you will not receive any feedback on your movement.
We are very lucky to have a great team with a lot of experience! Depending on your goals and/or injuries, we will pair you with an instructor who we think you will work best with. The easiest way for us to see you is for you to wear well fitted clothes which are lighter in colour. These always stand out on the camera better.
If you have an injury then we recommend getting in touch with us and we can talk it through before you book. If you have never done a class before we will likely ask you to do a new client assessment, either online or in person so that we can make sure we know how to modify movements for you.
If you want to join the group classes straight away, just drop us a message to info@complete-pilates.co.uk so that we can chat you through your options and make sure the instructor is aware of your injuries so that they can modify the class appropriately. We will also be able to give you some tips and tricks before your session.
Building muscle does take time and it is about consistency. It normally takes around 4-6 weeks for you to feel a difference, 6-8 weeks for you to see a difference and 12 weeks for everyone else to see a difference. This is why most gyms run 12-week transformations!
The things to be aware of are that there are several reasons these time lines may go up. If you are older, a smoker, have never done exercise or are injured, it generally takes longer to build muscle. If you have an injury, you also need to work out the body healing itself as well. Finally, if you have had this problem for years, then it will take longer for us to undo any habitual movement patterns.
As with anything, you need to do between 150-300minutes of activity a week which is well structured. This does not mean you have to see us every time you want to exercise. If you are doing a 1:1, your instructor can give you some exercises to do at home and can also recommend a group class for you to join if you want to. The important thing is to focus on the quality of the exercises and do them well.
This really does depend on your goals. You should feel different by the end of the first session. However, it is the carry over that we want to see. We want to make sure that you are able to feel a change in the session and then start to be able to replicate this on your own as well.
You can either book using the book now button at the top of the page, or download our Complete Pilates app. Both are really easy to use.
Unfortunately due to changes made by Apple and Google, we are unable to use our app for online class or 1:1 bookings. In order to do this you will need to use the website or book via contacting info@complete-pilates.co.uk.
If you aren’t sure about tech, you can also fill in the form above and we will give you a call. This way we can run through all the options with you, make sure you are set up and help to get you started!
Remember, we are here to help. If you have any questions about how we as a company, or appointments work, simply fill in the form above to get in touch. We hope to see you in the studio, or online, soon!
Remember, we are here to help. If you have any questions about how we, or appointments work, simply fill in the form above to get in touch. We hope to see you in the studio soon!
